The site survey that makes a return project easier

A practical walk-through of location, access, utilities and daily operation before equipment configuration.

Measure the real route

Record the approach width, waiting space, emergency circulation, floor condition and route for removing collected material. Mark doors fully open and identify any shared corridor restrictions. Confirm accessibility requirements with the site owner.

Check the services

Locate power and network access, agree who supplies each, and describe expected outage behavior. For an exposed location, document rain, direct sunlight, temperature variation and condensation. Ask the equipment team to assess the exact site rather than assuming an indoor specification applies.

Assign a person to every action

Identify the site contact, cleaning owner, collection operator, fault escalation recipient and person who approves changes to signage. Photograph the proposed spot and include the floor plan in the project brief.

Document the decision after the walk

Leave the site with a marked drawing, measured approach and service clearances, utility owner, access restrictions and unresolved questions. Photograph the collector route as well as the visitor approach. Assign an owner and review date to every constraint; ‘to be confirmed’ without an owner is not a usable installation plan.

Visit when the site is actually busy

A quiet-hour survey can miss a queue, delivery trolley or cleaning routine that takes over the proposed space. Watch the approach during the site’s normal peak and ask staff which doors or corridors must remain clear. Then trace a full collection container to the loading point. A position that looks attractive from the visitor side may force an awkward back-of-house route; keep both paths on the same drawing.

If several locations are under consideration, use the same survey fields for each but preserve site-specific observations. A chain-wide equipment choice does not make power, drainage, access or collection partners identical. Mark constraints that could change the configuration, not just ones that could delay installation.

Finish with a decision meeting

Bring the site owner, operator, collector and equipment team together around the marked plan. Confirm what is approved, what still needs measurement and who can authorise a change. Record the version of the floor plan used in the proposal. If the site later moves the return point, revisit the service clearance and utility assumptions rather than treating it as a cosmetic change.

Download the site survey worksheet and attach the approved equipment drawing for the selected configuration. Send the site brief with packaging samples and the intended collection operator.